The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 series hardware is usually installed in an equipment room (for example, a PBX or computer room). The location must meet the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace system environmental and power requirements and must allow you to connect the system to the phone network and LAN.

For environmental requirements and hardware specifications for the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 series server, see the System Requirements.

Caution! This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

LAN Workstation Minimum Configuration

You must install additional MeetingTime software on Microsoft Windows software-based desktops for use by Cisco Unified MeetingPlace end users, contacts, and attendants.

Sensitivity to Network Traffic

Because Cisco Unified MeetingPlace is connected to the LAN network, traffic on the local LAN segment can affect Cisco Unified MeetingPlace operations. In particular, a "broadcast storm" (one or more systems on a network segment continuously sends message packets to the local broadcast address) can bring a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace system down for the duration of the storm.

Unless the system administrator is certain that broadcast storms will not occur, the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8106 or 8112 server should be partially isolated from the rest of the network.

To isolate the server, you can use an Ethernet router or switch. An Ethernet switch is usually simpler and less expensive than a router. Many switches include filtering mechanisms that control broadcasts. (For example, the 3COM LinkSwitch 1000 temporarily shuts down any port that generates an abnormal number of broadcast messages.) A Cisco Unified MeetingPlace system connected directly to a filtering switch is virtually immune to broadcast storms.

A Cisco Unified MeetingPlace server placed on its own router segment is also immune to broadcast storms. A moderately expensive solution is to place a two-Ethernet-port router between the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace system and the main network. An example of such a device is the Cisco 2514.

Caution! A router-based solution implies creating a new LAN segment with its own IP address range.